IMO UN agencies join forces to tackle extreme maritime weather Maritime Tickers

IMO : UN agencies join forces to tackle extreme maritime weather

The United Nations bodies responsible for meteorological and maritime affairs have underscored the link between maritime safety and climate change, calling for stronger collaboration to address extreme weather at sea.

Maritime weather in London

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are hosting a symposium on extreme maritime weather in London (23-26 September), bringing together the meteorology, oceanography (metocean) and maritime communities to work together on finding solutions to this challenge.

Environmental regulations

Opening the event, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez emphasized the importance of safety to IMO’s core mandate. He said: “Everything we do to enhance maritime safety has a positive added value to the environmental regulations that we adopt and implement through the IMO.”

Impacts of climate change

WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ms. Ko Barrett highlighted the impacts of climate change on the maritime sector, including sea level rise effects on ports, increasingly intense cyclones which pose a major hazard to seafarers, and warming in the polar regions reducing Arctic Sea ice.

New sea lanes

This can open new sea lanes, exposing sensitive regions and increasing the risk of marine environmental emergencies.

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“Climate change affects maritime operations, whether at sea or in harbours and ports…. It is vitally important that WMO and meteorological services work closely with the IMO and the maritime community to meet joint challenges and to improve efficiency and safety,” she added.

Maritime observations

In such an environment, the importance of maritime observations, forecasting and early warning systems cannot be overstated.

In her keynote address, Captain Radhika MenonRecipient of the 2016 IMO Bravery Award, recalled a rescue operation where fishers almost lost their lives due to a delayed weather warning.

“Maritime weather is inherently unpredictable, which makes accurate forecasting not just a necessity, but a lifesaver,” she said.

UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Ambassador Peter Thomson from Fiji, applauded the symposium for tackling climate and ocean issues, particularly in the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science (2021-2030).

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